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Aussies smoking less but taking more drugs

Australian are smoking and drinking less but using more illicit drugs, a national survey shows.

About 13 per cent of Australians are smoking daily, compared to 15 per cent three years ago, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) drug and alcohol survey released on Thursday.

And smokers have also cut the average number of cigarettes they smoke per week from 111 in 2010 to 96 in 2013.

The study also found fewer young people are drinking alcohol, with the proportion abstaining rising from 64 per cent to 72 per cent in the past three years.

Twenty-six per cent of Australians aged 14 or older reported being a victim of an alcohol-related incident in 2013, a decline from 29 per cent in 2010.

However, the use of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, has more than doubled in the past three years.

The misuse of pharmaceuticals also rose, increasing from 4.2 per cent in 2010 to 4.7 per cent in 2013.

"While the use of meth/amphetamine remained at a similar level to 2010, there was a major shift in the main form of meth/amphetamine used," Mr Neideck said.

"Use of powder dropped significantly while the use of ice (or crystal methamphetamine) more than doubled between 2010 and 2013."

There were slight declines in the use of ecstasy and heroin, he said.

Quit Victoria policy manager Kylie Lindorff said the smoking data highlighted what could be achieved with a comprehensive approach to tobacco control reform.

"This news is cause for celebration but we can't take our eyes off the ball - we still have a way to go to achieve the federal government target of 10 per cent adult smoking prevalence by 2018," she said.

"With tax increases already locked in for the next three years, there is no reason we can't see smoking rates drop even further if there is a renewed investment to funding anti-smoking campaigns at the necessary levels and a continued expansion of smokefree areas."

The National Drug Strategy Household Survey is conducted every two to three years.

The 2013 survey collected data from nearly 24,000 people across Australia.

Signs young people are swearing off the booze is a victory against binge drinking, a health group says.

The survey also found the age at which young Australians tried their first drink had risen from 14.4 to 15.7 in the past 15 years.

The Australian Drug Foundation says prevention strategies are working, but authorities shouldn't be complacent.

"We know that the younger a person drinks alcohol the more likely they are to binge drink and have a problem with alcohol later in life," foundation boss John Rogerson said in a statement.

But "Australia is still very much in the grip of a dangerous love affair with booze," he added.

The survey found fewer Australians drank daily than in 2010, dropping from 7.2 per cent to 6.5 per cent.